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Bama Rush is back. What's the reason behind his continued viral success on TikTok?

Every year since 2021, TikTok users have been fascinated by young college students posting about their experiences attending Sorority Rush at the University of Alabama.

The process of joining Greek sororities, known as rushing or recruiting, has been around for many decades. Bama Rush went viral the year after the COVID-19 lockdown, giving the world more insight into the process, the unique style of Greek life in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and the hopeful crowd of young college students hoping to get into the sorority of their dreams.

Here's what you need to know about Bama Rush and its enduring appeal.

Potential new members (PNMs) at the University of Alabama post on TikTok about the outfits they wear to each event, sometimes revealing how they think it went and which sorority they hope to end up in.

As part of the rush process, PNMs attend several events, meet numerous other hopeful recruits, and attempt to connect with existing members of various sororities. Over the course of a week, they go through several “rounds”:

  • Convocation: PNMs meet for a relaxed introduction to the daily rush process.

  • Open House: PNMs watch a series of five-minute videos from each sorority to determine what their top priorities are, and they are encouraged to take notes. Sorority chapters do the same with videos from PNMs.

  • Philanthropy (3 days): PNMs receive matching T-shirts to pair with shorts or a skirt and visit up to 12 sorority groups for about 30 minutes each to learn how they contribute to the community. This begins the “invitation-only” meetings.

  • Sisterhood (3 days): PNMs attend up to seven different parties, each approximately 40 minutes long, to get to know the active members of each chapter.

  • Preferred night: At the most formal event of the application process, PNMs rank their preferred sorority candidates and agree to extend an offer to each sorority on their list. Sorority members also rank their preferred PNMs.

  • Bidding day: PNMs meet at the football team's stadium where they receive invitations (offers) to join a sorority. They are encouraged to wear clothes they can run well in, as they literally sprint to the sorority house where they receive their offer. They also receive a t-shirt with the sorority letters on it.

Although Sorority Rush is popular across much of the United States, many people weren't introduced to the concept until August 2021, when videos began appearing on their TikTok in a so-called “For You” feed. The app's algorithm presents users with content based on their viewing habits and history, taking into account where they live and what's trending.

As participants document their Rush experiences on TikTok, they showcase the style trends of Greek life in Alabama in “Outfit of the Day” (OOTD) videos and share stories from each round in “Get Ready with Me” (GRWM) videos.

Some PNMs develop a following through these videos – and sometimes outsiders who follow the process can build their own following.

Greek life across the country has been criticized for favoring whites; according to 2022 data, nearly 85% of the Alabama Panhellenic Association's sorority members were white. After coming under scrutiny for persistent segregation in its Greek system, the University of Alabama pushed for integration in 2013.

The influence of Greek life on the culture of the University of Alabama has also been questioned. A not-so-secret society called “The Machine” allegedly tries to influence campus and local politics in favor of fraternities. The University of Alabama's student newspaper, Crimson White, has repeatedly investigated this.

Rush has also come under fire for costing a fortune and encouraging PNMs to flaunt their wealth online. The average annual cost for a new fraternity member at the University of Alabama is reportedly more than $8,000, not including the branded clothing often touted in Bama Rush's TikTok videos. This year, the high cost of the trendy bracelets worn by PNMs has drawn criticism. TikToker Destinee Moreh (@destineemorehvibes) has gone viral for documenting how expensive the outfits of PNMs and active fraternity members are in her OOTD videos, sometimes exceeding $10,000.

The documentary Bama Rush: Acceptance is everything became available on the streaming service Max in May 2023, bringing the TikTok phenomenon to a wider audience. Rush in 2022 was influenced by rumors that documentary producers had planted hidden microphones on a group of PNMs to secretly record the trial, although the documentary's director, Rachel Fleit, said in the film that this move would not have produced high-quality reporting. The documentary instead features interviews with several PNMs before and after the Rush trial.

The TikTok hype sparked increased interest in the Rush process among outsiders, including a fascination with the Rush business. The Wall Street Journal reported that some parents pay Rush coaches thousands of dollars to help their daughters get into specific sororities. The coaches help them choose outfits, connect with sorority members and create impressive recruitment videos.

Now, Bama Rush isn't just an opportunity for young college students to gain viral fame—it's also a chance to build an online career. TikTok user Courtney White (@courthousecouture), a lawyer who creates content about the Bama Rush style, told USA Today that “a lot of the girls are getting brand deals.”

“Many of these young ladies are becoming young entrepreneurs and influencers thanks to Bama Rush,” she said.

Sometimes popular PNMs, like 2022 Rising Star of the Year Kylan Darnell, gain active member status and give their TikTok audience a glimpse of the rush from the other side.

Another popular figure, Bama Morgan, returned for another round of bidding after failing to receive an offer in 2023. She revealed in a video that she was “released” from 2024 recruitment after the first Sisterhood event, but remained hopeful that she could receive an offer through Continuous Open Bidding (COB), an informal recruitment process.

Bama Rush is similar to a reality competition show – the rules are well known by now, but the characters we follow change. Check out some of the most viral posts from PNMs this year:

For anyone interested in sorority recruitment but looking beyond the University of Alabama, Kappa Kappa Gamma members at the University of Oklahoma and the University of South Carolina have also been in the public spotlight this summer—but not for their expensive outfits or their fiery personalities. Their active members showed up at recruitment events in quirky blue outfits that honor the sorority's official color.

It's a departure from the typical image of perfection that so many sorority members and PNMs try to project—but could it become a more widespread trend in the future? We'll see it in our For You feeds.

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